Nghiên cứu đánh giá giáo trình Lifelines elementary dùng cho sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh tại trường Cao đẳng Sư phạm Lào Cai

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Certificate of originality of study project report
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of Content
List of Abbreviations
List of Tables
List of Charts
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale and aims of the study
1.2. Significance of the study
1.3. Research questions
1.4. Methods of the study
1.5. Design of the study
PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Materials in language teaching and learning
1.1.1. Materials and types of materials
1.1.2. Roles of materials in language teaching and learning
1.2. Materials Evaluation
1.2.1. Materials evaluation
1.2.2. Types of materials evaluation
1.2.3. Materials evaluators
1.2.4. Models for evaluation
1.2.5. Criteria for materials evaluation
1.2.5.1. Criteria defined by Sheldon (1988)
1.2.5.2. Criteria defined by Hutchinson & Waters (1987)
1.3. Materials Adaptation

1.3.1. Reasons of materials adaptation
1.3.2. Things should be adapted
1.3.3. Adapting techniques
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CHAPTER II: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
2.1. Current English teaching and learning situation at Laocai Teacher Training
College
2.1.1. English teaching and learning context
2.1.2. Objectives of the courses
2.1.3. Description of the material
2.2. Data analysis and discussion
2.2.1. Description of data collecting instruments and procedures
2.2.1.1. Methods
2.2.1.2. Participants
2.2.1.3. Survey questionnaire
2.2.1.4. Research procedures
2.2.2. Results and discussion
2.2.2.1. The appropriateness of the course book to the objectives of the course
2.2.2.2. The suitability of the course book to the students’ needs
2.2.2.3. The suitability of the course book to the current teaching and learning
methods
2.2.2.4. Learners’ evaluation of the current course book and suggestions
2.2.3. Major findings
2.2.3.1. The suitability of the course book to the objectives of the course
2.2.3.2. The suitability of the course book to the students’ level
2.2.3.3. The suitability of the material to the learners’ needs
2.2.3.4. The suitability of the material to current teaching and learning methods

2.2.3.5. Students' general comment about the course book and their suggestions
PART III: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
3.1. Recommendations
3.2. Conclusion
REFERENCES
APPENDICES



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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LTTC: Laocai Teacher Training College
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
ELT: English Language Teaching

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LIST OF TABLES


Table 1: Students’ ability to use the four skills communicating in English
Table 2: Students’ ability to do the given tasks in English
Table 3: Students’ ability to acquire the given language points in communication
Table 4: Students' expectation of grammatical structures
Table 5: Students' of vocabulary
Table 6: Students' expectation of communicating situations
Table 7: Students' judgments on the given topics
Table 8: Students' judgments of each part of units in the course book
Table 9: Students' judgments of necessity of Extension sections
Table 10: Students' suggestions on the proportion of the 4 macro skills in each unit
Table 11: Students' preference on the form of the course book
Table 12: Students' preference on the classroom activities
Table 13: Students’ ideas on interaction patterns in their language class
Table14: Students’ preference towards the frequency of using English in classroom

Table15: Teaching techniques and activities that teachers use in class
Table16: Students’ general comments on the course book
Table17: Students’ suggestions for a better course book
Table18: Students’ favorite topics

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LIST OF CHARTS



Chart 1: Students' judgments of the number of new words in each unit
Chart 2: Students' judgment on the number of class hours available for the course book
Chart 3: The frequency of teacher's use of audiovisual teaching aids
Chart 4: The frequency of students' use of audiovisual teaching aids at home
Chart 5: Students' habit of using English in daily life
Chart 6: Teacher's concentration in an English class
Chart 7: Teacher's use of supplementary teaching aids
Chart 8: The percentage of teachers adapted or supplemented the material

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PART I: Introduction
1.1. Rationale and aims of the study
Course books have played an important role in most language programs. However,
research has suggested that despite their important role, course books are not always
professionally designed and do not always fit the curriculum and closely correspond with
the objectives of the course and the needs of the students. Thus, course books should be
carefully evaluated and selected before being used for a language program. On the other
hand, course book evaluation does help the managerial and teaching staff select the most
appropriate materials available for a particular course. It also helps to identify the strengths
and weaknesses of a particular course book that is already in use. This is to inform teachers
in the process of course book adaptation and decision-making for the next courses.
At Laocai Teacher Training College (LTTC), English has been a compulsory subject since
1992. However, there has not been an official course book which is approved by the
Ministry of Education since then. The teacher there themselves choose the course book that
they believe appropriate to their students without a research. The New Cambridge English
course I (Michael Swan &Catherine Walter, 1990) was chosen to be the course book for
14 years, from 1992 to 2006. Then the teachers there found it no longer suitable because of
the out-of-date information and boring tasks in the book. Again, they themselves chose
another course book titled Lifelines (Elementary) (Tom Hutchinson, Oxford University
Press, 2002), which is being used at many other colleges in some Northern mountainous
province in Vietnam. The Lifeline (Elementary) has been the main course book for all the
non-English major students there since 2006. Though, it has never been evaluated. The
author of this study is one of the teachers who have work with this course book for some
years. She wishes to know to what extent the course book suits her students. So she
decided to conduct an official research to evaluate it.

This study seeks to evaluate the course book Lifelines (Elementary) (Tom Hutchinson,
Oxford University Press, 2002) which is in use for the non-English major students at
Laocai Teacher Training College. Specifically, it seeks to examine the suitability of the
course book to those students. That is, it seeks to answer the question “To what extent does
the Lifelines (Elementary) course book suit the non-English major students at Laocai
Teacher Training College?” As this is only a small-sized scale study, a number of issues,
though intriguing, would be beyond the scope of inquiry and would be best dealt with in a
further study.

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1.2. Significance of the study
This study can be significant in some ways. As discussed earlier, course book is a key
component in most language programs. In the teaching context at Laocai Teacher Training
College, it may even constitute the main source of language input that learners receive and
the basis for language practice that occur both inside and outside the classroom. In order to
serve their purposes most effectively, course books need to be professionally designed, fit
the curriculum and closely correspond with the aims of the teaching program and the needs
of the students. However, after four years of being used, the Lifelines (Elementary) reveals
several problems which bring teachers and students working with it considerable difficulty
in meeting students‟ needs and achieving the ultimate goal of their teaching and learning
program as well.
The current research helps to identify the problems and suggests some recommendations to
improve them. This contribution would be of practical value to teachers and teacher
trainers in other colleges in some Northern mountainous province in Vietnam whose
students and teaching context are the same as the author‟s.

1.3. Research questions
This study aims to answer the question “To what extent does the course book Lifelines
(Elementary) suit the non-English major students at Laocai Teacher Training College?”
In order to answer the research question, the following specific research questions were

raised:
1. Is Lifelines (Elementary) appropriate to the students‟ level and the objectives of the
course?
2. To what extent does the course book meet the students‟ needs?
3. Is the course book suited to current teaching and learning methods?

1.4. Methods of the study
The methods employed in this study included document analysis, student survey,
questionnaire, informal interview, and class observation. For the purpose of course book
analysis, an in-depth evaluation of the Lifelines (Elementary) was conducted using the
model of Hutchinson & Waters (1993). The student survey (Appendix 1) enabled to collect
students‟ opinions about the practicality as well as the suitability of the course book. In
designing the survey the author used more closed questions than open-ended ones in order
to easily quantify the data. The survey was written in English and included five sections.

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The first section gathered general information of the informants but allowed for
anonymity. The second section consisted of three questions asking the appropriateness of
the course book to the objectives of the course. The third section includes eight questions
asking about the suitability of the course book to the students‟ needs. The last two sections
which involve 14 questions were designed to find out the teaching and learning methods,
learning conditions, and students‟ comments and suggestions. The respondents of the
survey were 275 non-major English students at the college. The data collection took place
during June 2010 at the college. Besides, three telephone interviews with three good
former students were conducted. The purpose of conducting the interview was to get more
objective and exactly results. This information would help to explain the findings in a more
objective manner. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes and the author used
note-taking techniques to record the information.

1.5. Design of the study

This study mainly consists of three main parts: Part I begins with a general introduction
covering the reasons for choosing the theme, aims, research questions, research methods,
and design of the study. Part II contains two chapters: Chapter I deals with the literature
review in which the most important notions related to materials evaluation are discussed.
Readers are provided with concise understandings of the approaches, types, and methods
of evaluation. Chapter II is devoted to the analysis of the survey questionnaire of the
course book evaluation carried out at LTTC, in which objectives, description, data
collation, and analysis are demonstrated in details. On the basis of the findings in the
previous parts, part III shows some recommendations and conclusion which encloses
practical suggestions for the future use of this course book. An useful appendix can be
found at the end of the thesis.









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PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Materials in language teaching and learning
1.1.1. Materials and types of materials
According to Tomlinson, B (1998), materials are defined as anything which is used to help
to teach language learners. Materials can be in forms of a textbook, a workbook, a cassette,
a CD-Rom, a video, a photocopied handout, a newspaper, and a paragraph written on a
whiteboard: anything which presents or informs about the language being learned.
Materials of these types can obviously be exploited effectively for language teaching and

learning. However, in the local setting, textbook seems to be the most widely used material
in the language program.
According to Microsoft Encarta (cited in Tran Thanh Nhan, 2006), textbook is generally
defined as a book that treats a subject comprehensively and is used by students as a basis
for study. Besides, the term „course book‟ is also used to refer to a textbook on which a
course based. Tomlinson (1998) also stated that course book is the core material of a
course and serves as the only book which the learners use during the course. It usually
includes specific parts as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, and the four
skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this study, the terms „textbook‟,
„course book‟, and „material‟ are used interchangeably.
As mentioned above, materials can be in forms of a number of things. However, McGrath
(2002) categorized them into four main types:
i. Published materials: This type of materials can be books, and reference
materials as dictionaries, grammars, advice on language learning, test
practice materials, tapes accompanying course books, or supplementary
books.
ii. Authentic materials: Taken from real life, these consist of newspapers,
magazines, user manuals, leaflets and brochures, foreign mission
information, letters, faxes, emails, videos (films or documentaries), and
songs.
iii. Adapting and supplementing published materials: These are ones that
have been adapted or supplemented in some way. These cut-up

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materials can be self-standing or deliberately designed to supplement
the course books.
iv. Specially-prepared materials: For self-access activities, this type of
materials proves to be useful as there is always a need for material that
is more precisely tailored to the needs of students working on their own.
Whatever they are, materials should always be appropriate to the objectives of the course

and meet the needs of the learners. It is always said that there is no perfect materials which
fit all teaching- learning contexts. So, it should be teachers who choose the ones that suit
their teaching and learning situations.
1.1.2. Roles of materials in language teaching and learning
There is no doubt that materials are of great importance in any language program. The
crucial roles that materials play in language teaching are indicated by many authors in the
literature. Richards and Rodgers (cited in Nunan, 1991) view instructional materials as
detailed specifications of content, and guidance to teachers on both the intensity of
coverage and the amount of attention demanded by particular content or pedagogical tasks.
Richards and Rodgers‟ perspective is supported and clarified by Richards (2001), who
points out that teaching materials can server as the basis for much of the language input
that the learners receive and as the source for much of the language practice that occurs in
the classroom. Richards further explains that materials provide basis for the content of the
lessons, the balance of skills taught, and the kind of language practice students take part in.
In addition, good teaching materials are of great help to experienced teachers or poorly
trained teachers (Nunan, 1991; Richards, 2001). They can serve as “a form of teacher
training” (Richards. 2001: 251) and teachers can get ideas on how to plan and teach the
lesson from the material.
Hutchinson and Torres (1994: 315) suggest, “(…) No teaching-learning situation, it seems,
is complete until it have relevant textbook.” Other theorists such as Sheldon (1988: 237)
agree with this observation and suggest that textbook “represent the visible heart of any
ELT program.” Many authors believe textbook are the starting point from which teachers
are stimulated and provoked to create lessons for their classes.
Besides, Cunningsworth (2002) state “course books have multiple roles in ELT and server
as:
 a resource for presentation material (spoken and written)
 a source of activities for learner practice and communicative interaction
 a reference source for learner on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.

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 a source of stimulation and ideas for classroom language activities
 a syllabus (where they reflect learning objectives which have already been
determined)
 a resource for self-directed learning or self-access work
 a support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence”
Obviously, teaching materials are the key and crucial component in any language teaching
contexts. However, it is generally accepted that the role of course book is to be at the
service of teachers and learners, but not to be their master. Therefore, it is very necessary
that careful selection is made and that the materials selected closely reflect the aims of the
teaching program, as well as meet the needs of the learners.
1.2. Materials Evaluation
1.2.1. Materials evaluation
There are some ways of defining evaluation. According to Brown (1995), evaluation is
“the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to promote the
improvement of a curriculum and assess its effectiveness within the context of the
particular institution involved”. Tom Hutchinson and Waters (1993) define evaluation as a
matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose. And according to
Tomlinson (1998: xi), evaluation is a systematic appraisal of the value of materials in
relation to their objectives and the objectives of the learners using them. From the above
definitions, it can be inferred that material evaluation is the assessment of whether a
material is effective or not when compared with the prescribed objectives. In the other
words, Tomlinson (1998) affirms material evaluation is the process with “attempts to
measure the value of the materials”.
So, why is a material evaluation carried out? The reasons for this activity are many and
varied. However, according to Ellis (1997), there are two reasons why language teachers
should evaluate materials. Firstly, it is to choose among the available materials the most
suitable one for a particular situation. Such evaluation is often carried out before the course
takes place. Another reason is to determine whether the material which has been chosen
works for that situation after it has been used for a period of time. This may help in
deciding whether to use the material again or to replace it with a better one. Especially,

Cunningsworth (2002, p.14) adds: “ in teacher training, materials evaluation is a valuable
component and serves the dual purpose of sensitizing student teachers to some of the more

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important features to look for in course books and familiarizing them with a range of
published materials”.
1.2.2. Types of materials evaluation
In classifying material evaluation, different authors have suggested different divisions.
Johnson (1989) and Robinson (1991) both agree that material evaluation can be classified
into such three types as: preliminary, formative, and summative. Recently, Cunningsworth
(2002) and MCGrath (2002) introduce the three concepts of: pre-use evaluation, in-use
evaluation, and post-use evaluation. That classification seems to be the most widely
accepted.
 Pre-use evaluation: This evaluation is carried out before a course book is used. It is
to examine the future or potential performance of the course book. Although
probably the most common, pre-use evaluation seems to be the most difficult type
of evaluation because there is no actual experience of using the book to draw on.
 In-use evaluation: This type of evaluation refers to course book evaluation while
the material is in use to see whether it should be considered for replacement. It can
be conducted periodically in combination with careful observation.
 Post-use evaluation: The type of post-use evaluation provides retrospective
assessment of a course book‟s performance and can be useful for identifying
strengths and weaknesses which emerge over a period of continuous use.
Evaluation of this type is very helpful to decide whether to use the course book in
the future.
Among the three types of material evaluation above, the post-use evaluation is used in this
research.
1.2.3. Materials evaluators
A number of published work on materials evaluation (Dudlley-Evans & Students.John,
1998; Tomlinson, 1998; Robinson, 1991; Richard, 2001) reveals that materials evaluation

can be carried out by outsiders (those who are not involved in the language program, for
instance, consultants, inspectors, or administrators) or insiders (e.g. teachers, students,
course designers, or materials designers).
Materials evaluation by outsiders is often said to be objective as outsiders are hoped to
bring “fresh” and “objective” perspectives into the evaluation. However, though they may
have their own views on language teaching methods, they may not have a deep understand
about the students and the teaching/ learning situation. As a result, as Robinson (1991)
suggests, they may be unsympathetic and it may take more time for them to get to know

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the local situation, such as learners‟ needs, facilities as well as constraints. Therefore, they
may not have exact judgments and realistic recommendations; or maybe what they find
have already been found (Dudlley-Evan & Students.John, 1998).
Materials evaluation by insiders, on the other hand, is said to be more subjective and
imposing somehow. As insiders have already involved in the language program, they are
believed to understand the situation well (Tomlinson, 1998), so that exact judgments and
realistic recommendations will be made. Besides, Richard (2001) holds the belief that the
involvement of the insiders has an important role in the success of the evaluation because
“as a consequence, they will have a greater degree of commitment to acting on its results”.
Richards (2001) also points out insiders, especially teachers, can „monitor‟ when the
material is being used; therefore, they can determine if and to what extent the materials
„work‟ for their purposes and thus they can make modifications to improve the
effectiveness of the materials.
The author of this study is a teacher, so she plays the role of insider evaluator while
conducting this research.
1.2.4. Models for evaluation
In terms of major steps in a materials evaluation process, there are several models for
materials evaluation suggested by different authors in the literature. The popular models
are the ones suggested by Hutchinson & Waters (1993), Ellis (1997), and McDonough &
Shaw (1993).

Hutchinson & Waters develop a model of evaluation which is called Marco Evaluation. In
this model, they recommend the four main steps of evaluation as defining criteria,
subjective analysis, objective analysis, and matching (see Diagram 1).










Diagram 1: The Materials Evaluation Model of Hutchinson & Waters (1993: 98)
SUBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
What realizations of the criteria
do you want in your course?
OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
How does the material being
evaluated realize the criteria?

MATCHING
How far does the material match your needs?
DEFINE CRITERIA
On what bases will you judge materials?
Which criteria will be more important?

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The second model is Micro Evaluation which is developed by Ellis. This is the evaluation
of one particular teaching task which the evaluator has a special interest in (Ellis, 1997).

The Micro Evaluation involves the following steps:
a. Choosing a task to follow;
b. Describing the task with specification of input, procedures, language activities, and
outcome;
c. Planning the evaluation with reference to the dimensions above;
d. Collecting information before, while and after the task was used, as well as what
and how the task was performed;
e. Analyzing the information collected;
f. Reaching the conclusions and making recommendations for future teaching; and
g. Writing the report.
Ellis points out the advantage of the model that it can be more manageable than the marco-
evaluation, but it is time-consuming. However, to provide a basis for a marco-evaluation, it
would require a series of micro-evaluations.
With a combination of the Macro-evaluation and Micro-evaluation, McDonough & Shaw
(1993) suggest a three-stage evaluation model which includes internal, external, and
overall evaluation. The internal evaluation (Micro-evaluation) requires an in-depth look at
two or more units to examine whether the claims made by the author are the ones found in
the internal evaluation. The external evaluation (Macro-evaluation) is the examination of
the claims made for the whole materials by the author or publisher. The internal evaluation
stage will be carried out if the external evaluation shows that the materials are potentially
appropriate. If the findings show that the materials are inappropriate, the evaluation will be
finished at the external stage. Lastly, the overall evaluation of the materials is to determine
the suitability of the materials by considering a number of factors such as the usability
factor, the generality factor, adaptability factor, and flexibility factor.
In summary, although these three models vary in the process and the nature of the
purposes, they all serve to evaluate whether the material is appropriate to a certain situation
or group of learners.

1.2.5. Criteria for materials evaluation
Criteria are what evaluators use to “reach a decision regarding what needs to be evaluated”

(Tomlinson, 1998: 220) which are the bases upon which evaluators depend on when
making judgments. Defining criteria for evaluation is one of the crucial issues evaluators

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need to take into account before any evaluation can be taken place. Criteria for materials
evaluation depend on what is being evaluated and why they need evaluating (Dudley-
Evans & Students.John, 1998). Various scholars have suggested different ways to help
teachers become more systematic and objective in their method of evaluation by using a
check list. A significant body of literature exists on this method (Candlin & Breen (1987);
Williams (1983); Hutchinson & Waters (1987); Sheldon (1988); Cunningsworth (2002)).
Among those, the most widely used sets are the ones suggested by Sheldon (1988), and by
Hutchinson & Waters (1993).

1.2.5.1. Criteria defined by Sheldon (1988)
Sheldon (1988) suggests a wide range of criteria that can be used to evaluate all aspects of
materials. The criteria suggested by Sheldon (1988) include rationale, availability, user
definition, layout/graphic, accessibility, linkage, selection/grading, physical characteristics,
appropriateness, authenticity, sufficiency, cultural bias, educational validity, stimulus/
practice/ revision, flexibility, guidance, and overall value for money.

1.2.5.2. Criteria defined by Hutchinson & Waters (1987)
When offering materials evaluation process, Hutchinson & Waters (1987) suggested five
criteria for evaluation in their check list.
 Audience: The first criterion in materials evaluation in the audience of the materials
with regards to different information such as: ages, sex, study or professional fields,
status with respect to professional fields, knowledge of English, of areas of work or
study, and of the world, educational background, interest and so on.
 Aims: Like any language course which has its own aims and objectives, the
evaluation of course needs carrying out to find out if the materials can satisfy those
aims and objectives of the course.

 Content: Content is one of the most important elements of the materials. Therefore,
it is necessary to measure if the content of the materials suits the content prescribed
in terms of language description, language points, macro-skills and their
proportion, and micro-skills. The evaluation also needs to find out if the text types
of the materials are suitable to the requirements of the course. In general, it is of
great importance to take into consideration the learners‟ subject – matters in terms
of knowledge, types of topics, and how those topics are presented. Finally, the

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evaluation needs to find out if the way the content is organized and sequenced
within a unit and throughout the course is appropriate.
 Methodology: Many aspects in terms of methodology need evaluating. First of all,
the evaluation has to indicate whether the theories of learning on which the course
is based are in line with those of the materials under evaluation. Secondly,
evaluators need to measure whether the learners‟ expectations about learning are
the ones the materials are intended to. Thirdly, it is also necessary to determine
whether the kinds of exercises/ tasks included in the materials suit the course
requirements. Another aspect to be evaluated is the teaching and learning
techniques: whether the teaching and learning techniques that can be used with the
materials are those required by the course and suitable to the students. Furthermore,
the evaluation also needs to discover if teaching aids available for use are those
required by the materials. In addition, the evaluation needs to find out whether the
materials supply the teachers with necessary guidance and support for running the
course. Finally, it is helpful to determine if the materials are flexible so that they
can be used in different orders to suit the teaching context.
 Other criteria: Beside the criteria mentioned above, some other criteria are also
suggested, such as: the price and availability of the materials.

1.3. Materials Adaptation
1.3.1. Reasons of materials adaptation

It is obvious that there are a range and variety of published materials on the market.
However, it seems to be impossible to find a perfect fit between learners‟ needs and course
requirements, as well as what the course book contains. Cunningsworth (2002) declare,
“Every learning/ teaching situation is unique and depends on factors such as these: the
dynamics of the classroom, the personalities involved, the constraints imposed by
syllabuses, the availability of resources, the expectations and motivation of the learners”.
In addition, once the materials have been evaluated, potential problems can be identified.
Therefore, materials can nearly always be improved by being adapted to suit the particular
situation where they are being used. Materials are adapted because of the following
purposes:
i. to make the materials more suitable for the circumstances in which it is being used,
i.e. to mound it to the needs and interests of learners, the teachers‟ own capabilities

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and such constraints as time, or as McDonough & Shaw (1993, p.85) put it: “to
maximize the appropriateness of teaching materials in context, by changing some
of the internal characteristics of a course book to better suit our particular
circumstances”
ii. to compensate for any intrinsic deficiencies in the material, such as linguistic
inaccuracies, out-of-datedness, lack of authenticity (Madsen and Bowen, 1978), or
lack of variety.

1.3.2. Things should be adapted
According to Gabrielatos (2001), the following things should be adapted: aims, topics,
texts, visuals, guidelines and explanations, exercises, activities, tasks, games, quizzes,
questionnaires, etc. In the other words, any unsuitable things about the content and
methodology of the materials should be adapted.

1.3.3. Adapting techniques:
 Adding: The concept of addition is that materials are supplemented by putting more

into them, while taking into account the practical effect on time allocation. Firstly, the
teachers can add in this quantitative way by the technique of extending. “This means that
the techniques are being applied within the methodological framework of the original
materials: in other words, the model is not itself changed” (McDonough & Shaw,
1993:89). The teachers can do this in the following situation, for example: A second
reading passage parallel to the one provided is helpful in reinforcing the key language
features – tenses, sentence structures, vocabulary, cohesive device – of the first text.
Secondly, more far-reaching perspective on addition of materials can be termed expanding.
“This kind of addition is not just extension of an existing aspect of content. They go further
than this by bringing about a qualitative as well as a quantitative change ( ). This can be
thought of as a change in the overall system.” (McDonough & Shaw, 1993:90)
 Deleting or Omitting: Deletion is clearly the opposite process to that of addition. As
mentioned above, materials can be added both quantitatively (extending) and qualitatively
(expanding), the same point applies when a decision is taken to omit materials. The most
straightforward aspect of reducing the length of materials is subtracting. In other words,
the teachers may leave out things deemed inappropriate, offensive, or unproductive for a
particular group.

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Addition and deletion often work together. Materials may be taken out and then replaced
with other things. The methodological change is greater when, for example, grammar
practice is substituted after the omission of an inappropriate communicative function, or
when a reading text is replaced by a listening passage.
 Modifying: Modifying can be sub-divided under two related headings. The first one
is rewriting, when some of the linguistic content need modification. The second is
restructuring, which is applied to classroom management.
Rewriting may relate to activities more closely to learners‟ background a d interest,
introduce model of authentic language, or set most purposeful problem- solving tasks
where the answers are not always known before the teacher asks questions. For example, if
accompanying audio materials is either not available, or cannot be purchased in a particular

teaching context, then the teacher may rewrite reading passage and deliver it orally, i.e. the
teacher may take note from the original materials and then speak naturally to the class from
notes.

Restructuring: For many teachers who are required to follow a course book rather strictly,
changes in the structuring of the class are sometimes the only kind of adaptation that is
realistically possible. For example, the materials may contain role-play activities for
groups of a certain size. The logistic of managing a large class are complex from many
points of view, and it will probably be necessary to assign one role to a number of students
at the same time. Obviously, the converse – where the class is too small for the total
number of roles available – is also possible if perhaps less likely.

Simplifying: The technique of simplification is a type of modification, namely a rewriting
activity. The elements of a language which can be simplified are: the instructions and
explanation that accompany exercises and activities, and even the visual layout of
materials, so that it becomes easier to see how different part fit together. However, texts,
most often reading passages are applied this technique. Usually, the emphasis has been on
changing various sentences – bound elements to match the text more closely to the
proficiency level of a particular group of students.
Simplification has a number of further implications. Firstly, once linguistic items are
changed, stylistics will be affected, and therefore the meaning of intention of the original
text may be changed. Secondly, simplification of content is required when the complexity

14
of the subject-matter is regarded as being too advanced. Thirdly, simplification can refer to
the ways in which the content is presented: we may decide not to make any changes to the
original texts, but instead to lead the students through it in a number of graded stages.
Reordering: This procedure refers to the possibility of putting the parts of a course book in
a different order. The teacher may adjust the sequences of presentation within a unit, or
take units in a different sequence from that originally intended.

CHAPTER II: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

2.1. Current English teaching and learning situation at Laocai Teacher Training
College
2.1.1. English teaching and learning context
LTTC is a college in a mountainous area in the North of Vietnam. English there is a non-
major subject for trainee teachers. The students are at different levels of English
proficiency, which range from beginner (75%) to intermediate (4%). Most of them come
from mountainous areas. Many of them are of ethnic minorities (62%). They hardly have
high motivation to learn English because they know that after graduating from college,
they will work in the mountainous areas again where no English is used. The status and
role of English in the students‟ living environment are not highly considered. It is not
surprising that most of the students (62%) learn English just because English is a
compulsory subject. They often have six or eight English lessons a week. The only
material they have is the course book. There is hardly any other English material in the
college library. The students sometimes get photocopied materials from their teachers.
Besides, English classes in my college are always very large ones, from forty- five to fifty-
five students in each. They are not homogeneous in level, ability and age. That poses
difficulty for teaching and learning English there. In addition, facilities for teaching and
learning are poor and lacked. What the teacher and the students often use in an English
class are the course book, the board, chalk, cassettes, some posters or teacher-made
pictures, some photocopied materials and nothing else. The subject syllabus is designed
and approved just by the teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Informatics.
Seventy-five class hours is the total of time to finish the course including five periods for
revising and testing.


15
2.1.2. Objectives of the courses

The objectives of the course are to provide the students with basic English grammar and
vocabulary relating to common topics in their daily lives to enable them communicate in
English in common situations. After finishing this course, students are able to:
i. acquire basic English grammar
ii. have a number of vocabulary relating to common topics in their daily
lives
iii. communicate in daily situations
iv. use English as a means of communicating both in spoken and written
channels
v. master basic and relatively systematic knowledge of English suited to
their levels of proficiency and ages
vi. acquire some general understanding of the people and cultures of
some English-speaking countries and develop a positive attitude
towards the people, cultures and language of these countries; cultivate
the pride in, love for and respect to the Vietnamese culture and
language

2.1.3. Description of the material
 Title of the material: Lifelines-Elementary(Tom Hutchinson, Oxford University
Press, 2002)
 Objectives of the material: Lifelines is a three-level general English course at
elementary, pre-intermediate, and intermediate level. Lifelines Elementary presents the
basic structures of English and develops them through a variety of different contexts.
Emphasis is also placed on enlarging the students‟ knowledge of vocabulary, and on
developing their ability to communicate effectively. There is thorough treatment of
reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The course is most appropriate for students
who have limited precious experience of learning English, and who need to practice and
consolidate basic structures and vocabulary from the beginning.
 Content of the material: The Study Book consists of 14 units, 7 Extensions, a
Grammar Reference section, a Functional Language reference section, a Wordlist with IPA

transcription, a Typescript of the listening activities, and a List of Irregular verbs and the
International Phonetic Alphabet.

16
Each unit is based around a theme and has the main structure focus, which is recycled and
developed through the unit. Each unit contains five sections as Grammar, Vocabulary,
Reading and Writing, Listening and Speaking, and Pronunciation. After every two units,
there is an Extension section. This section provides controlled and free revision of the
previous material and can be used by the teacher and the students to evaluate their
progress.
2.2. Data analysis and discussion
This part describes the research methods employed in this thesis including survey
questionnaires, informal interviews and document analysis. Besides, a detail description of
participants involved in the research will be shown. Last but not least, the most focused
point of this part is Result and Discussion.

2.2.1. Description of data collecting instruments and procedures
2.2.1.1. Methods
This study is a survey research which employed such types of surveys as: delivered
questionnaires, informal interviews, and participant observation. Delivered questionnaires
were used to collect the data that relate to the students‟ perspectives and attitudes towards
the course book they have just used. In addition, class observation and informal interviews
were conducted to clarify information collected from the survey. Then, document analysis
was one of the main instruments with the thorough objective analysis of the course book
under evaluation.
2.2.1.2. Participants
Because of the relatively small number of third-year non-major English students who have
just worked with the course book, the author decided to survey the whole population rather
than a proportional sample. Exactly, the survey population consists of 275 students in total.
Among those students, one-half has been learning English for more than seven years. The

others have been learning English for three or fewer than three years. The students were
invited to the college meeting hall to complete the questionnaires under the teacher‟s
guide. Some parts of the questionnaires were translated into Vietnamese to avoid
misunderstanding. After a class hour, 250 out of 275 questionnaires were gathered. The
other 25 ones were missed because of the little enthusiasms of some students.
2.2.1.3. Survey questionnaire
The survey questionnaires are divided into five main sections. Section 1 is designed to
gather informants‟ information. Section 2 consists of three questions that investigate the

17
appropriateness of the course book to the objectives of the course. Eight questions of the
third section are to seek the suitability of the course book to the students‟ needs. Section 4
consists of ten questions asking about teaching methods and learning conditions. The last
section is to collect students‟ general comments on the course book and their suggestions
as well.

2.2.1.4. Research procedures
As the materials evaluation model of Hutchinson and Waters (1993) is used in this
research, the four steps are followed as in the process below:
 Identification of the criteria for evaluation
 Subjective analysis: the course requirements are analyzed
 Objective analysis: information from students is collected through questionnaires
and informal interviews with focus on the students‟ evaluation on the materials,
students‟ needs and the suitability of the course book to the course requirements.
 Matching the results of the analysis with the specified requirements.

2.2.2. Results and discussion
2.2.2.1. The appropriateness of the course book with the objectives of the course
This part presents the information collected through three questions in which the students
were asked to state their views towards the appropriateness of the course book with the

objectives of the course. The answer for each question is displayed in following separate
tables (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3).
Table 1: Students’ ability to use the four skills communicating in English
No.
Topic
Listening (%)
Speaking (%)
Reading (%)
Writing (%)
1
People
60
87
78
72
2
Description
50
41
49
38
3
Work and Play
62
39
58
39
4
Likes and Dislikes
42

54
60
42
5
Daily life
30
42
52
44
6
Places
31
39
56
42
7
Entertainment
34
39
49
27
8
Survivors
7
12
20
18
9
Travel
50

55
62
51
10
Fashion
36
45
50
40
11
Health
33
46
54
42
12
Winners
2
6
44
17
13
Experiences
7
8
48
14

18
Table 1 shows that the students can use the four skills communicating about most of the

given topics with the highest proportion on the topic People (L60%, S87%, R78%, and
W72%). The proportion is lowest on the topic Winners (L2%, S6%, W17%). The
students can use the four skills communicating about such topics as Description, Work
and Play, Likes and Dislikes, Daily life, Entertainment, Travel, Fashion, and Health.
In addition, many students can only read materials concerning to the two topics Winners
(R44%) and Experiences (R48%); they cannot speak or listen to such topics well. Besides,
a small number of students say that they can communicate in English about the topic of
Survivors (L7%, S12%, R20%, and W18%). They are not satisfied with the content
introduced in the units relating to the above topics because of their limited background
knowledge and language ability. In general, it can be said that topics which are easy or
close to students‟ life can be more easily learned than the others. Also, the course book
failed to help students communicate about some topics because the content introduced in
those units is unfamiliar to the students and the language is of difficult level in comparison
with their background.
Table 2: Students’ ability to do the given tasks in English
No.
Tasks
Badly
(%)
quite
well (%)
Well
(%)
very
well (%)
1
Making conversation when you
meet other people
30
7

62
1
2
Making conversation when you go
shopping
35
45
18
2
3
Making arrangements
51
39
18
2
4
Offering and accepting
16
53
26
5
5
Asking where something is
1
32
35
32
6
Responding
17

52
25
6
7
Making travel arrangements
39
50
8
3
8
Buying clothes
35
40
21
4
9
Talking about problems and giving
advice
2
30
30
38
10
Making suggestions
53
30
16
1
As it can be seen from Table 2, students can do most of the given tasks quite well, except
Making arrangement and Making suggestions. The two tasks that the students can do

19
very well are Asking where something is (32%) and Talking about problems and
giving advice (38%). The task of Making conversation when you meet other people
seems to be familiar to the students, so that two-third of them can do well. On the other
hand, more than half of the students say that they cannot do the two tasks (Making
arrangement (51%) and Making suggestions (53%)). From the formal interviews with
the students, the author sees that those two tasks are perceived to be difficult to them.
Moreover, the language items in those units are unfamiliar to them. That makes it difficult
for students to do the tasks.
From the analysis above, it can be concluded that the course book nearly meets the
requirement in terms of tasks. However, the two difficult tasks above needs considering
whether to be taught in this course or they should be introduced in another.
Table 3: Students’ ability to acquire the given language points in communication
No.
Language points
Badly (%)
Quite well
(%)
Well (%)
Very well
(%)
1
The present simple tense
12
53
27
8
2
Have got/has got

6
45
45
4
3
There is/ there are
3
43
41
13
4
The past simple tense
14
59
26
1
5
The present continuous tense
15
53
27
5
6
Comparatives/ superlatives
16
47
31
6
7
Going to

8
42
42
8
8
The present perfect tense
46
39
14
1
As Table 3 shows, after working with this course book, the students can use most of the
introduced language points well or very well. The language points that the students can
acquire are of very basic English grammar. They are perceived to be appropriate to the
students at this level with the choice ranges from 54% (The present perfect tense) to 97%
(There is/ there are). The present perfect tense seems to be the most difficult to the
students. Forty-six percent of the students say that cannot use that tense and they need
more exercises to practice.
These findings imply that the course book partially meet the requirements in terms of
language points. However, in teaching, the teachers should adjust some aspects to make it
more suitable to the audience.

2.2.2.2. The suitability of the course book to the students’ needs
This part is designed to investigate the suitability of the course book to the students‟ needs.
The students were asked to share their expectation of the course book in terms of

20
grammatical structures, vocabulary, communicating situations. Moreover, they were also
asked to give their judgment on the course book.
Table 4: Students' expectation of grammatical structures
38 %

The present simple tense

78%
The future tenses
18%
Have got/has got

100%
The present perfect tense
28%
There is/ there are

76%
The past continuous tense
57%
The past simple tense

100%
The past perfect tense
58%
The present continuous tense

54%
The present continuous tense
90%
Comparatives/ superlatives

58%
Going to
Table 4 shows that all the grammatical structures that the students wish to learn are of

basic English grammar. According to that, 90% students wish to learn Comparatives and
superlatives; 100% students wish to know how to use The present perfect tense and The
past perfect tense which are the two difficult tenses. It can be seen that the simpler the
grammatical structures are, the lower the proportion of choice is. For example, The
present simple tense, Have got/has got, There is/ there are are chosen by 48%, 46%, 28
% students respectively. From the statistics in the Table , it can be said that the course
book can help students get to know and improve these grammatical structures except for
“There is/ there are” that are chosen by only 18%.
Table 5: Students' expectation of vocabulary
11%
Numbers

28%
Giving dates
80%
Classroom language

62%
Verbs
89%
Describing people

85%
Travel
25%
Time

58%
Clothes
100%

Food and drinks

58%
Parts of the body
100%
Daily activities

62%
Phrasal verbs
75%
Parts of a house

90%
The world
64%
Weather

56%
Movies
62%
Sports

100%
Student life
100%
School



Table 5 reveals that students wish to improve vocabulary relating to such topics that are

useful and related to their life, such as Food and drinks (100%), Student life (100%),
Daily activities (100%), School (100%). Besides, vocabulary relating to Describing
people, The world, and Classroom language is highly chosen with the proportion from
80% to 90%. In contrast, some topics which seem to be boring to the students are favored
by only a few students, such as, Time (25%), Numbers (11%), and Giving dates (28%).
Among the nineteen given topics, there are some topics taken from outside. But, they are
chosen by 100% students. It is obvious that students want to learn what close to their lives.